Remember when the long-dead German car company Borgward came back? Yeah, well, as this New York Times profile reiterates today, it’s actually Chinese.
You should read this whole profile on the company, because it gives some good backstory to the brand’s glory days run by an engineering genius too capable for his own good. The NYT leaves out the conspiracy theory that the Quandt family that owns BMW conspired to kill the company in its moment of greatest need, but the article is still worth a read.
This line about how exactly Borgward could spring back up out of thin air fully formed, however, sticks out. The Times points out that getting into the auto business requires deep pockets. They continue:
Those deep pockets are Foton’s. The company holds 100 percent of the Borgward Group’s stock, Mr. Knöss said, though new partners and investors are being sought.
Foton is a Chinese company that builds trucks and SUVs, which explains why Borgward’s first new car is just some knockoff Audi crossover.
There might be some Germany engineering in this car, there might be a German HQ and German founders, but at this point Borgward is very much a Chinese company in ownership and spirit.
Photo Credit: Borgward
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